Year Five News 

Dear Year Five families,

Who can believe we are now halfway through Term One? We have had a wonderful few weeks of learning and now that the 20 Days Program has ended, students are excited to be launching into their first Unit of Inquiry for the year, 'Who We Are.'

Year Five - Junior School Council Representatives

After preparing and presenting their speeches, we are proud to announce the JSC representatives for Year Five.

Well done to all students who nominated themselves for being risk-takers and congratulations to the successful applicants.

5A - Isabell Turner and Jeffrey Fan

5B - Xinyan Guo and Naz Tamese

5C - Bryanna Tesoro and Aiderus Sherif

5D - Pippa Gill and Maya Niven

5E - Mahika Misra, Keisha Olenga and Fleur D’Sa5A

5F - Aarush Kumar and Wijdan Mirza

Reading

In Reading, students have been looking at 'Question Answer Relationship (QAR)' comprehension and understanding the link between comprehension questions and where an answer can be found in the text. QAR is a key comprehension skill required for NAPLAN as it helps students know where to locate information in a text to be able to accurately answer questions. They have worked on applying this skill to a range on fiction and non-fiction texts. In addition, students have started engaging in guided reading groups and identifying goals to work on in their reading. In Year Five, students are encouraged to read regularly (for at least 30 - 45 minutes a day) using a book from home, EPIC, Kids News or other resources and practice responding to QAR questions to showcase their understanding of a text. Please see below some generic QAR comprehension questions which can be used at home.

Writing

In Writing, students have started to unpack Persuasive Writing and identifying the purpose, structure and features of these texts. They first worked on understanding the terms 'for' and 'against' in a topic and explaining their reasoning.

Now, using the Mentor Text, 'The Perfect Pet,' they have started constructing their own persuasive pieces using the appropriate structure and persuasive devices to clearly state their opinion and convince their audience.

In NAPLAN, students will either receive a persuasive or narrative writing prompt and therefore we will focus on building their skills in both areas throughout the term.

Mathematics

In Mathematics, students have been engaging in cross cohort ZPD groups. These groups are a chance for students to work on their own personalised learning goals with different teachers across the cohort.

Unit of Inquiry

This week, we launched into our first Unit of Inquiry for 2022, 'Who We Are.' Throughout this unit, students will be investigating the central idea, 'Characteristics of a leader may determine their legacy' and unpacking the attributes that leaders possess.

Over the course of this unit, students will have the opportunity to develop their research skills by selecting a leader of interest, conducting research and creating a presentation of their findings.

As we move through this unit, we encourage families to regularly engage in discussions about student learning and leaders around our world.

Beach Program

What a fun two sessions we have had at Williamstown Beach! Over the past two weeks, students have developed an understanding of water and beach safety, water rescue, First Aid and CPR. Students have displayed wonderful listening skills and have been respectful of the lifeguards at Williamstown Beach. They have also shown great teamwork skills as they work with peers from across the cohort to complete each activity.

We are looking forward to our final beach program day on Tuesday the 8th of March.

Important Reminders:

• Term 1 and Term 4 are hats terms. Please ensure your child has a wide brimmed hat that is clearly labelled.
• Tuesday 8th of March: Final Beach Program.
• MacBooks need to be brought to school fully charged each day.